Unemployment rates and immigration

Earlier this year, the Independent reported that immigration does not cause unemployment. Research from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research found that the opposite may be true and that increased immigration could reduce unemployment rates.

Unemployment has risen sharply since early 2008, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics which show that there are now a million more people unemployed in the UK than the beginning of 2008. There have been a large number of job cuts in the UK since the global financial crisis started thereby increasing the unemployment rate. However, the reasons cited for the jobs cuts do not appear to be linked to immigration as long term immigration to the UK has remained at the same level since 2004.

The Government is clearly trying to do all it can to reduce migration to the tens of thousands by the next election as per its mandate (despite the findings from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research), but it is damaging businesses and academic institutions throughout the country.